Vitosha Mountains, Cherni Vrah Peak (2290m)

Mount Vitosha is one of the most adored and visited mountain in Bulgaria. It is the first officially declared Nature Park on the Balkans to protect alpine meadows, century-old forests and peat bogs. The dome-shaped mountain is crisscrossed by many walking trails, but the most scenic area is the Plateau and the highest peak named Cherni Vrah (2290m/7625ft.)Difficulty: this walking route is moderately arduous, without steep paths. Please bring along comfortable hiking boots. Sandals and flip-flops are not accepted. Rain jacket might be useful in summer as heavy showers sometimes occur in the afternoons.The tour is offered as guided (small group) or self-guided. Check the PRICES tab below for further details.

Total transfer time: 2 hoursWalking time: 3,30-4 hrs (hiking time only; moderate difficulty; no steep parts)Best period: June – October (possible also in May and November; options for snowshoeing treks in Vitosha during winter – contact us for details)

Circular trek, starting from Aleko hut, climbing Cherni Vrah (2290m) and descending along a different route back to Aleko hut. (3,30-4hrs hiking time only; 12km; +550m; -550m)Explore one of the classic trails on Vitosha, starting from Aleko hut, climbing to Cherni Vrah peak and descending along a different path under the rock of Malak Rezen peak. You will cross typical for the mountain stone rivers, make your way close to the Peat Reserve and ascend to the highest peak. Throughout the way your companions will be high mountain birds and their melodic songs. The alpine zone is a home of the elusive Balkan Chamois (Wild Mountain Goat) and herds of Roe Deers. Along the way you will have a chance to admire and photograph rare and beautiful flowers as the Vitosha Tulip and various orchids. The descending walk is equally astonishing with panoramic views of Vitosha’s dense forests, Sofia city and the Balkan Mountains outlining the horizon.

The price includes: Transfer from your hotel in Sofia to Vitosha Mountains and back (hotel pick up is not included for Special Offer days); English-speaking guide (for the guided hiking option); Detailed route notes in English and maps (for the self-guided hiking option; 1 set of route notes and 1 map per vehicle)
Food: basic food is available in the eatery at Cherni Vrah station (i.e. beans soup, meatballs, French fries, tea, pancakes), but if you come prepared with a sandwich or two you can stop at any place to enjoy our food.

Hiking time: hiking time only is mentioned on each day (not including stops for pictures, picnics, breaks etc.!); these are based on an average hiker’s speed of 4-5km/hr on flat terrain, additional 30min for each 300m elevation gain, and a backpack weighing not more than 10-15% of your body weight. Still this varies a lot on the terrain, the group size and the hiking experience of each client within the group.

"Awesome hike on mount Vitosha!"

My friend and I had a one day hiking tour on mt Vitosha. Todor is one of the best you could ask for in a hiking journey. We had Todor as our hiking guide on our hike to mount Vitosha. He’s kind, friendly, knowledgeable and professional. During our hike, he fed us with good knowledge about the mountain, the plants, the habitat, the tornado disaster etc. Knowing we are not experts on hiking, he took great care of us on our way and was willing to go a lil adventurous with us so that we could experience the whole of Mt. Vitosha. We are really happy to have Todor as our guide!

"Great hike of Vitosha"

My mum and I did the Vitosha/Cherni Vryh peak hike with Traventuria last Monday and had a great time. We were just with a group of four, the two of us plus a Bulgarian lady and the guide, who adapted his pace to the slowest in our group. The views were beautiful and the hike very rewarding, not too tough and not too long. But the best thing was that afterwards, when we were driving back into the city, my mum mentioned to me that she wanted to go to McDonald’s for a burger, which the guide obviously heard and remembered, because just as we were sitting down there he came running in with my sunglasses which I’d forgotten in the van! Amazing customer service, and I highly recommend anyone to book a tour with Traventuria 🙂

“Fantastic hikes to Rila lakes and Vitosha mountain”

I took the guided tour to the Rila Mountains by Traventuria on 29th September, the tour was really well organised and the mountain scenery was just amazing, luckily the weather was also perfect. Our tour guide, Vasco made the hike just even better, he was respectful and supportive to the whole group, checking that no one left behind and supporting those who needed some help on the hike. Vasco also taught me perfectly how to use the trekking poles. When he mentioned that he would be the tour guide for a Vitosha mountain hike as well, I booked that immediately. I also recommend the Vitosha tour, the same experience, amazing scenery and of course the superb guiding from Vasco!!! I travel a lot, but these two hikes were the best experiences in this year for me!

“Vitosha hike”

We booked the hike the night before and the entire process online was smooth. However the best part of the entire hike would be the guide Vasco. He was patient as he guided us through the hike and ensuring that we were not left too far behind or alone. He was also full of knowledge of the Mountain and atas and gave us lots of tips. Would def recommend this company and if possible to ask for Vasco as he is one of the best guides around.

“Great trip to Vitosha Mountain”

I only had two days in Sofia. To explore the nature there around I booked a day trip with Traventuria. Communication with the office was very friendly! Thx Lilia & Magdalena! They recommended Vitosha Mountain. My guide Todor Nedkov was great! Very flexibel with interesting conversation about the sights of Sofia, history & mentality of the country and amazing nature. Think he has a good sense about physical skills of people and what they want.

“Vitosha Mountains & Cherni Vryh Peak”

Traventuria was very concerned about whether we had proper hiking boots as there was still snow in the mountain and even texted and called me to ensure. They were also very prompt in answering all of our queries too. “Martin the tour guide” was prompt in meeting us in the morning. He was really an inspiring and energetic guide, and his positivity rubbed onto us. The climb was not an easy one for us but he kept us going! Overall, Traventuria and “Martin the tour guide” exceeded my expectations and I would highly recommend them. Thanks for the memorable adventure, “Martin the tour guide”!

“Rila Monastery- 7 Lakes Tour / Vitosha Mountain tour”

I found Traventuria on internet and booked two tours (Day 1:Rila Monastery and 7 Lakes + Day 2: Vitosha Mountain) for 2 consecutive days, in the middle of our 4-day stay in Sofia. The booking went quite easy and confirmation came quickly. We were picked up at our hotel, perfectly on time both days.
The first day we went to the Rila Monastery which is a very beautiful place and worth visiting. Our guide explained us all he knew (which was a lot 🙂 and took us as well to a ‘bar’ to have typical Bulgarian donuts for breakfast. After that we drove to the the start of the 7 Lakes tour. Apparantly, we were in quite good shape so we did an extended route up in the hills which was incredibly beautiful (around 4 hours of hiking). I also found it very nice that most of the time we were just hiking, no chatting was necessary which allows you to enjoy the beautiful nature around you. We had our picknick while sitting on the edge of a cliff with the view over the lakes.
This day was quite tiring as they picked us up at 7.30am and were back at the hotel around 7pm, but it is it totally worth.
Next day we hiked up the Vitosha mountain with the same guide, had some tea with brandy in a wooden hut on top of it and saw all kind of vegetation on our way back down. The hike is much easier than the one into the Rila mountains, but remains nice due to the change between rocky mountain, forest, flowers etc.
We are very happy to have booked those tours, it offers a different way of learning the Bulgarian country, especially if you are found of nature, and I can highly recommend it to everybody!
Thanks Traventuria!